1. IS THE CITY OF CITIES STRATEGY THE ANSWER FOR SYDNEY? Glen Searle

2. SYDNEY’S MAIN PROBLEMS FOR A STRATEGIC PLAN Air & water pollution Water supply Public transport Housing affordability Areas with serious socio-economic problems Lack of access to jobs related to skills & transport Lack of regional & local open space Sydney’s global industries Lack of community participation

3. POLLUTION Still problems with CO, particulates NW & SW sectors are in worst areas for pollution dispersal Maintenance of air quality as sustainability criterion for NW & SW unrealistic Densities in new sectors too low for non- subsidised decent public transport Even low runoff from NW & SW sectors will worsen Hawkesbury-Nepean algal bloom Increased environmental water flows to Nepean problematic with climate change

4. WATER SUPPLY Nothing in strategy about recycling of ocean outfall sewage Higher water charges & public education campaign necessary

5. PUBLIC TRANSPORT No targets for public transport use The only new rail lines won’t be built until 2012 or 2017 No planning for fast rail link from Parramatta to central Sydney No planning for light rail lines in inner suburbs Parramatta-city corridor needs high frequency light rail line No new initiatives to boost walking or cycling Exclusion of confirmed new arterials (M4- Citylink etc.) to give a sustainable spin

6. HOUSING AFFORDABILITY Housing affordability seen as solved through planning system and rent supplements This is unlikely to provide affordable housing for lowest income quintile, which needs increase in public housing supply Affordable housing targets for lowest income quintile should be set for each sub-region Developer levy for 75% of new infrastructure reduces new house buyers’ affordability Better solution is infrastructure benefit assessment scheme funded by Growth Centre Commission loans

7. AREAS WITH SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROBLEMS Strategy silent on areas with serious deprivation Regeneration plans funded by government needed, e.g. different versions of Redfern- Waterloo Authority Regeneration needs to recognise different contexts - public housing vs NESB areas Proposed enterprise corridors providing blighted business premises not sufficient

8. LACK OF JOB ACCESS Skills-related: Inadequate recognition of problem re western Sydney Skills program for W Sydney needed, building on local TAFE strengths & opportunities Transport-related: Western Sydney has relative lack of access to Global Arc, worsening with Macquarie Park development Construction of Epping-Parramatta line & high-speed Parramatta-city line would significantly improve global job access

9. OPEN SPACE Up to 1,400 hectares of new local open space needed for 700,000 extra people in existing urban area: not addressed in strategy Levies needed to buy this land No new regional open space in strategy: Treasury funding issue Opportunities for new regional open space missed, e.g. northerly extension of Western Sydney Parklands

10. SYDNNEY’S GLOBAL ECONOMY BASE Complacency in strategy Some economic development proposals - innovation, industry clusters But no funding, c.f. Queensland & Vic. Nothing on retaining pre-eminence in global sectors like finance, producer service & tourism No mention of policies to support Sydney Airport Central and inner city amenity crucial for global & creative workers, but not addressed

11. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION Limited community input into strategy Much wider consultation like Melbourne strategy needed Community choice between different types of strategy needed, like Perth strategy No proposal for new metro governance agency, but uncertain if such an agency would be less political or more democratic than state government

12. BETTER STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR SYDNEY Raise community awareness of good and bad development and planning Develop forums/channels for dialogue between community & politicians Proper resourcing of continuous metro planning Annual report card on strategy as first step to greater government accountability for Sydney planning